ENGLISH GMS FOR BESSEL KOK

Last Edited: Saturday April 8, 2006 8:22 AM

The following is the full text of a petition signed by 18 English GMs, urging the ECF board to support Bessel Kok for FIDE President, received 8 March 2006.

[start of press release]

"We, the undersigned English Grandmasters, would like to express our support for Bessel Kok in the forthcoming Presidential Election in Turin, May 2006. He has an exemplary record of organising and supporting top level chess events as well as a highly distinguished business career. We believe this is a unique opportunity to restore credibility to FIDE and to reverse the decline in their capacity to attract commercial sponsorship. For these reasons we implore the English Chess Federation to join the clear majority of their European colleagues in supporting positive change after a decade of stagnation."

Keith Arkell
Murray Chandler
Stuart Conquest
Nigel Davies
John Emms
Danny Gormally
Mark Hebden
Harriet Hunt
Daniel King
Jonathan Levitt
Luke McShane
Jonathan Mestel
John Nunn
Jonathan Parker
James Plaskett
Nigel Short
Jonathan Speelman
Peter Wells

[end of press release]

Postscript: On 18 March the English Chess Federation (ECF) published a press release announcing its intention to support Bessel Kok - click here for the ECF press release.

Official Website of the 'Right Move' Campaign: http://www.rightmove06.org/
Official website of the Kirsan Ilyumzhinov re-election campaign: http://www.chessfidelity.com/

British Chess Magazine Home Page: www.bcmchess.co.uk